


Sorry for the Fuss

by AddisonNoxy



Series: Agents of the New Squidbeak Splatoon [10]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: F/F, Worrying Loved Ones, and the rest of the splatoon wishes she'd stop, three pushes herself way too hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27884923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AddisonNoxy/pseuds/AddisonNoxy
Summary: 'Limits' are something that Agent 3 typically tries to leave behind. If she's not giving her job everything she's got, then she's not doing good enough. For the sake of Inkopolis, she must complete every task, no matter what.Agent 8 disagrees.
Relationships: Agent 3/Agent 8 (Splatoon)
Series: Agents of the New Squidbeak Splatoon [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970149
Comments: 9
Kudos: 48





	Sorry for the Fuss

Agent 3 trudged up the incline which led out of the Octarians’ main defensive perimeter, hands shaking on her Hero Shot, legs feeling like lead as she dragged her feet one in front of the other. The Inkling’s whole body was crying out for a rest, but she carried on with clenched teeth; this wasn’t nearly far enough. Had to get further away. She’d be found if she stopped here.

How long had she been out here by this point? A few days at least, easily, judging by how many shift rotations the Octarians had undergone. It was difficult to measure the passage of time in the domes, especially in the militant zones, where the lights weren’t dimmed automatically to simulate nighttime the way they were in the residential districts. There was also no way that Three would bring her shellphone down here, where it could be mined for information if she got captured or disabled, and no way that she could just walk up to an Octoling and ask for the time. Typically, this meant that the best way to track how long it had been was to ask whoever was serving as mission control at the other end of the Hero Suit’s headset.

Three raised a hand impulsively to her headphones, only to scold herself for the gesture as she remembered that they had been damaged and lost a while back. She’d been running this mission solo for an unknown amount of time, which wasn’t _entirely_ foreign to her - after all, even back when it had just been her and Cap’n Cuttlefish going out on patrols, the good old soldier needed a lot more sleep than Three did. She’d power through silent nights while her commanding officer rested, too focused on her task to think about how long she’d been away, only realizing the night had passed when Cuttlefish’s voice returned.

That being said, however long she’d been out here, Three was starting to reach her limit. Her brain was getting confused and exhausted, trains of thought stopping and starting abruptly. She glanced behind her for the fifth time in what felt like under a minute to make sure she wasn’t being spotted. She raised a hand towards her headset again, then suppressed a growl of frustration when she again realized that it wasn’t there.

She was so tired. But she couldn’t stop here. She could not stop.

Three continued down the hallway, leaning against the wall now, bleary eyes searching for the exit which would get her out of here. The lights in this part of the underground were dim, a low-priority zone that didn’t see very much foot traffic, and the overhead LEDs seemed poorly maintained. Their constant flickering was only aggravating her growing headache. It was so difficult to think. She hadn’t been followed, had she? Was she wounded in that last fight? No, not injured, just tired. Where was the exit?

At last, she saw one of the transport pipes that were used to reach the surface. An unfamiliar one, but with how remote this part of the dome was, it seemed unlikely that anyone would follow her. Any part of the surface would be fine, as long as she could be sure that she wouldn’t have the bad luck to stumble across an Octoling patrol.

Three fell more than jumped through the grate, shifting to squid form and hurtling through the warp pipes in a daze. The further she got from Octaria, the more difficult it was to keep herself moving, to keep her eyes open. But she had to keep going. Just a bit farther. Almost there…

It was nighttime when she emerged, stumbling out of the grating and giving an unsteady glance around her. The stars were twinkling brilliantly in the sky, and a breeze that tasted like the sea blew past her. She was on some sort of rocky path, definitely an outskirts post on the border of one of the aboveground ravines. It was impossible to tell where exactly she was, between the curtain of night and her own fatigued, overworked brain.

Three made it another ten paces before one of her legs buckled, and she put out a hand just in time to stop herself from faceplanting into the path. A sudden sharp sting made her wince. Scraped palm for sure, minor but painful. The agent flexed the injured hand experimentally, trying to determine if it would impede her shooting too much, only to realize that she was no longer holding her weapon. She swiveled, seeing it lying on the ground a few feet away.

Her shooting hand was shaking again. It was getting harder to put any strength into her limbs. Her legs wouldn’t move. Three cursed inwardly, trying to command her body to obey her, but it looked like she was finally tapped out. There was nothing in her head but noise.

Alright. Alright, this was fine. The odds of being caught out here were low, even if she didn’t know where _here_ was, right? She’d sit down, close her eyes for ten minutes, and then be back up and running long enough to get to Tentakeel Outpost. Not a problem, she’d had worse.

With the last of her strength, the Inkling dragged herself on her knees to the rocky wall that lined the path, leaning back against it and feeling her muscles give out. Her body felt just as stony as this damn wall. That was it - she was done.

Three closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to review what she’d learned. Might as well prepare her report now, before she had to deliver it to Marie. But she found herself unable to hold her thoughts together. They were fragmented. Scattered. The Octarians… she couldn’t think. Her exhausted mind was spent. How long had she been out here? When did she lose her headset?

The girl stayed like that for a time, motionless apart from the occasional rise and fall of her chest. An onlooker wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint the moment that she fell asleep; even for Three, before she realized what was happening, she was already dreaming.

* * *

Three was with the Splatoon. They’d gathered around Cuttlefish Cabin, Three and Eight working together to drag that big sofa over to sit in front of the old building, and Four had brought a few folding chairs for them. They’d made a big bonfire with the stars twinkling above them and had all gathered around it, the Squid Sisters passing out marshmallows and hot dogs to everyone. Pearl and Marina were there, the stunted Inkling rapper dropping a rhyme as she stood dramatically over the fire, eyes gleaming and fingers flying. Her taller companion sat nearby, trying to contain her laughter enough to beatbox along.

“Alright, Pearl, take it easy.” Marie snickered, spearing a hot dog onto her poker as she sat on the cabin’s bench next to her grandfather. “Maybe let someone else have a turn to stand menacingly over the campfire.”

“There won’t be a campfire if you extinguish _this_ flame!” Pearl answered, throwing her hands out as she turned to Marie. “A party with no tunes? Talk about _lame!”_

“Are you sure you don’t want to save the good stuff for your shows?” Three asked with a smile, raising an eyebrow. “Craig did bring a radio, why don’t we just listen to some stuff on that?”

“A radio?” Pearl sounded offended. “You’ve got Off the Hook _right here_ and you wanna listen to public access? Talk about killing the mood, b!”

“You know it’s not like that, Pearl.” Marina said soothingly, taking the Inkling’s hand and guiding her to sit down in the chair next to her.

“Yeah! Maybe Three just wants a chance to be fire queen!” Four chirped.

“Ohh, a challenge, huh? Show me what you got then, Three!”

Taken aback, Three tried to think of some excuse for why she couldn’t be ‘fire queen,’ but came up short. She felt Eight, who was sitting on the couch next to her, give her shoulder a small push. The Octoling smiled at her.

“Go say something onto the fire.” she said encouragingly. “Why not? We are all fun right now.”

Three still felt some trepidation, but her worries were quickly fading at the warm look on Eight’s face. She hesitantly complied, stepping around the fire to get to a spot where she could see the whole Splatoon. Cap’n Cuttlefish gave a set of rapid taps with his cane to silence the group, and the hushed gathering turned their firelit faces towards Three.

“...you guys are all amazing.” she said, a flush creeping over her face as she rubbed the back of her head. “Working with the Splatoon has been a really fulfilling experience. Meeting the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook, getting to know Four, meeting Eight… all of this happened by chance. If I hadn’t stumbled across Craig, I wouldn’t be standing here right now, and that’s pretty crazy to think about.”

“Preach!” Four called, cupping her hands around her mouth and laughing as Eight pushed her.

Seeing the Octoling turn her bright eyes back to Three, the Inkling girl smiled. “I know I don’t say it often, but I really am glad I know you all.” she continued. “I guess I don’t get a lot of opportunities to talk to you all at once, so I just want to say that all of you are special to me. Even if I give you a hard time or act all gruff - “

“Mopey!”

“ - or mopey, thanks Four.” Three sighed, though she was still unable to stifle a grin as she heard Callie giggle. “Even if I act _mopey,_ I want you to know I appreciate you guys. I’m bad at expressing myself and I know I should be more open with people, but I’m used to feeling like I have to do stuff on my own. I’ll get better at it, I promise, and I’m glad that I have you guys to help me get there.”

She paused, awkwardly swinging her arms by her side, then shrugged. “That’s it, I guess.” she finished.

“Hey, no fair! If I knew we were doing mushy stuff then I’d have had the crowd bawling!” Three heard Pearl protesting to Marina as she walked back towards the couch, head ducked at the cheers and clapping which were coming from the Squid Sisters and the Splatoon captain. Four caught her sleeve as she passed, standing up and pulling the girl into a hug.

“Sorry I give you a hard time Three, but you make it so easy!” Four teased. patting Three on the shoulder.

The long-tendriled Inkling smiled in return. “That’s alright, Four, it helps keep me loose. I hope you never stop being such a fun-loving squid.”

“Aw, go sit down before you make me tear up!” the other girl said, pushing Three away with a grin. Three settled back into her spot on the couch, watching Cap’n Cuttlefish switch on the radio, and a peaceful jazz melody began to play as Eight shifted closer to her.

“It was a good speech.” Eight remarked softly, laying her head on Three’s shoulder. “You are getting better with them.”

“I’m just getting used to it.” Three replied, slipping her arm around the Octoling’s. “All thanks to you. For a girl who has trouble speaking clearly, you have a way with words.”

The red-headed girl laughed, making Three’s hearts flutter. “For a rude squid who has no fun, you are enjoyable for being around.” she returned, a smile on her face.

Three sat there, feeling the warmth of the fire and Eight leaning against her, listening to Marie who had started absentmindedly humming along to the music playing from the radio, shoulders swaying. She didn’t hear the white-haired Inkling sing much anymore, but she’d always felt that calmer songs like this suited her well.

“Valerie?” Eight spoke up suddenly. Three looked down to her, smiling gently.

“Yeah, Eight?”

“Valerie.”

The Octoling had pulled away from her, gazing into her face with those bright, wonderful eyes, calling her name with that sweet voice.

“What is it, Eight?”

“Valerie.”

“Eight?”

“Valerie!”

“...Eight, is something wro - “

“VALERIE!”

* * *

Three awoke with a jolt, body instantly on full alert. Somebody was shaking her, hard - her eyes were still unfocused and blurry, but she could make out a dark figure crouching over her.

Not good, her limbs still felt sluggish, but it’d have to do. With as much strength as she could muster, the Inkling seized one of the arms holding her, attempting to wrench it off of her while throwing a punch into her assailant’s gut.

A grunt let her know that her fist had made contact, but she couldn’t dislodge the hands grabbing her. Whoever this was, they were strong. Three tried to will herself to wake up quicker, to try and figure out a way to get herself out of this - 

“ _Valerie, it is me!”_

The voice was hoarse and agitated, making Three wince as the shout hit her at point-blank range. Even so, somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that the voice was familiar. She was still too exhausted to fight back properly, so the agent merely gripped the other person’s arms tightly, trying to make it clear that she wasn’t going to helplessly submit to capture while her tired eyes and brain tried to recognize exactly who it was that was looming over her.

Slowly, her vision came into sharper focus, revealing a red-haired Octoling dressed in a tight fitted and darkly-colored version of the Hero Suit, bright amber eyes glistening as they searched Three’s face.

“...Eight?” the girl said tentatively, feeling her strength leaving her again as she realized she wasn’t actually under attack.

A look of relief passed over Eight’s face, and she pulled Three forward, wrapping her arms tightly around the Inkling. The girl winced again at the sudden pressure on her aching body.

“You are okay!” she murmured, voice cracking. “You are okay, Valerie!”

Three didn’t answer, trying to work out the best way to respond with a brain that was still struggling with the concept of being awake instead of asleep. She didn’t even know how long she’d been out, but judging from the hints of sunshine that were beginning to peek over the tops of the rocky walls surrounding the ravine, it must have been at least a few hours. Her entire body was sore, she still couldn’t move how she wanted to.

“What time is it…?” she asked quietly, trying to gain some manner of awareness regarding the situation.

Eight pulled away from the hug at her question, holding her by the forearms as her face twisted into a look of mixed anger and concern that Three had never seen on the Octoling’s face. It was surprisingly intimidating. She tried to shrink back, any further questions dying on her lips, but Eight held her tightly.

“What time is it?” Eight repeated fiercely, shaking Three. She had no ability to resist. “That is the first thing you say to me!? We are knowing each other for so long, Valerie, and still I am without belief that you can be so _stupid!”_

“What are you talking about?” Three snapped, a feeling of embitterment rising at Eight’s tone. It hurt to see the girl so worried, but this was far from the first time that Three had spent an extended amount of time solo. Why was Eight getting so agitated now? Not to mention, using her real name instead of her agent designation despite being on official Splatoon business - something she’d explicitly asked the Octoling not to do. “Eight, I’ve just gotten through with a really long recon mission, and I’d rather be given some kind of - “

“You have been gone for _six days,_ Valerie!” the Octoling interrupted. Her teeth were bared, but it did little to hide the fact that her lips were quivering. “Marie said to me she has not heard from you in fifty-one hours! You have been doing your mission for all this time!?”

Three blinked. Six days? And she’d been without her headset for at least two of them? That didn’t seem right. Sure, she’d been out here for a long time, and her stomach was aching just as much as the rest of her now that she was in the hands of an ally, but… had she really lost track of time that much?

The Inkling wilted again under Eight’s furious stare as she held firm, clearly waiting for some kind of response. “I… my headset broke…” Three offered, the words sounding hollow even to her. “That’s when I lost contact with Marie - “

“You lost your headset and did not immediately come back?”

Every word out of Eight’s mouth was like a dagger in her chest. She sounded so incredulous, so worried, so _angry._

“I… I needed to complete the mission…”

“I have been scared for you, Valerie!” the Octoling said, sounding hoarse; it sounded like she was on the verge of losing her voice. “I have been searching top and bottom of the canyon all day calling you! I am asking Four to help and she cannot find you either! You have worried me so much, and now I am finally with you here and you look _dead,_ and the first thing you say to me is ‘what time is it’...!”

She shook Three again, though with less force this time. “I was scared for you, Valerie…” she repeated, pulling the girl close again, holding her tightly. Three could feel her shaking. “I was not knowing how to behave if I could not see you again…”

Three’s hearts sank. She’d definitely pushed it too far this time - the mission hadn’t been so critical that she’d absolutely needed to stick with it once she had lost contact with Marie. It would have been safer to come back with what intel she’d already gathered and gotten a fresh headset. But safety usually wasn’t high on Three’s list of priorities. She needed to do the mission, needed to make sure that everything was okay.

...feeling Eight’s trembling body, squeezing her as if afraid that Three would vanish, she could definitely say that everything wasn’t okay right now. How could she have worried Eight like this?

“...I’m sorry, Eight.” she said softly, raising her leaden arms to return the hug. She couldn’t put much force into the gesture, but Eight made up for that, holding her even tighter. “I should have come back. I’m sorry.”

“No more, please.” Eight whispered, not releasing her. “Please do not act this way again. Do not worry me so much, Valerie. I know it is your important job, but I cannot take thinking that you are not okay.”

“I won’t, Eight. Promise.”

She was sore all over, and her arms were protesting her attempts to hug the Octoling, but Three didn’t release what little strength she was able to muster. She didn’t complain about how tightly Eight was holding her aching body, or how long they sat there on the uncomfortable rocky path. None of that mattered right now. All Three wanted was for the girl to stop shaking like this, however long it took, however long Eight needed to hold her before she could be sure that Three wasn’t going anywhere.

The Inkling didn’t know how long they had been sitting there when Eight finally pulled away, eyes wet, and took a deep breath. She looked Three up and down, gently squeezing her shoulders, arms, thighs and waist, noting how the agent winced at her touch.

“You are very tired.” Eight said. “And sore. But not hurt, I think.”

“No, I’m okay. Sorry, Eight.”

“Okay. Let us be on the road. Grabbing on to me.”

The Octoling turned, motioning for Three to climb onto her back, and the agent frowned, not wanting to force the girl to carry her.

“Eight, you don’t have to do that, I’ll walk - “

“ _Rest,_ Valerie.”

Again, her protestations died instantly at the commanding tone of Eight’s voice. The girl had never spoken to her this way before.

“I will take you to home.” Eight said quietly. “And then, please rest.”

“...alright.”

Three complied, forcing her throbbing muscles to move, looping her arms around Eight’s neck. The Octoling grasped her legs and stood up, not seeming burdened in the least from having to carry Three. After a moment of pause, the girl walked over towards Three’s abandoned Hero Shot, reaching down while carefully balancing Three and picking it up from the ground.

A phone rang, causing Eight to frown, and she passed the Hero Shot to Three - who accepted it without complaint - before digging into her pocket and pulling out the Octophone that Three had bought her when she first moved to Inkopolis.

“This is Eight.” The Octoling said as she started to walk, shifting her other arm to better carry Three’s weight. Faintly, Three could hear a rather distraught-sounding Four on the other end of the line. “I found her, Four. We are going to Inkopolis.”

There was a pause as Four said something in reply. “No, she can be going to Cuttlefish Cabin tomorrow. Today she is going home.”

It was _heinously_ embarrassing to be Three right now, carried like a child while Eight spoke on her behalf to a newer member of the Splatoon, but she felt like any complaints she voiced would fall on deaf ears. So she meekly waited for the conversation to conclude, and for Eight to place the phone back into her pocket, before she spoke up.

“Sorry, Eight. Thanks for coming to get me.”

Eight slowed her steps, glancing over her shoulder to meet Three’s eyes. Their faces were so close, their noses were almost touching.

“You will not do it again?” she asked, eyes narrowed.

“I won’t.”

Eight’s face softened, and she nodded lightly to herself, resuming her walk towards Inkopolis.

“Then you are forgiven.” she said simply.

Relieved, the Inkling rested against Eight’s back, feeling her plodding steps as she made her way through the pass, and closed her weary eyes. Eight didn’t say anything else, walking in silence, and so despite the constant up-and-down motions jostling her body, Three felt herself slipping away again.

And then she was asleep, breathing softly into Eight’s shoulder, as the Octoling smiled despite herself at this troublesome Inkling she had come to care for.


End file.
